It is not exactly a barong, but what is it?

[TVV]

Here is a dagger from the Philippines that generally resembles a barong, but is too small to be one. Is it a tourist item or a shorter but authentic version? Or does it actually have a name?
Thanks in advance for your comments,
Teodor

[Ian]

Teodor:

It is a barung, albeit small by usual standards. A couple of possibilities come to mind.

It could have been made for a boy. There are examples of downsized weapons for boys.

It could have been made as a "hideout" weapon. There are reports of small barung being used by the juramentados, those Moros who performed spirutal rituals, perhaps going into a trance-like state, and then walked into the midst of their enemies to kill as many as possible. The Malay word running amok describes the practice also.

Or it could have been made for foreigners as a memento of their visit to Moroland. Basically a display piece. You mention the thinness of the blade, so this may be the most likely explanation.

It does seem to have been made well in the style of an early 20th C. Moro barung.

Ian.

[TVV]

Thanks Ian,
The blade is thin indeed, only 2 mm wide at the spine. Here is another small dagger of approximately the same size, which I guess would be classified as a gunong with a thicker blade. I believe this second one is from the 1950s or later based on the fittings which to me seem as made of alluminum.
Just wanted to learn a bit more about those two items, as I do not know that much about PI weapons (which fascinate me nevertheless).
Thanks,
Teodor

[tom hyle]

The gunong likely had and lost a guard. I have a somewhat similar one; mid 20th, I should say; note that the serations seem to have been ground into a straight-forged blade, but are not of the most recent/decadent pointed form. Mine has a particularly solid blade for a gunong. I wouldn't say 50s for aluminum use in PI; 40s is probably a more realistic barrier(?), and production of daggers is always up in wartime.

[Conogre]

Here's a similar piece as your first, TVV, which I've often seen loosely grouped and called "baby barungs".
This one has MOP in the front of the scabbard, with a blade thinner than normal for a barung and yet still fully functional and with detail not usually expected in "keepsakes" or souvenier items.
Another possibility that has ocurred to me is for women as "personal protection items", being small, easily concealed and yet ornate enough to reflect caste as is often seen in male weapons.....this may be a stretch, but I've seen similar in european and Ottoman knives, so I keep the option open as at least a possibility.
Mike

[TVV]

Tom and Mike, you have made excellent points, thank you. I just wonder if the barong is suitable for a female dagger, as it is a slashing weapon and while the blade on mine is sharp, I guess the shape of a gunong would be more useful at that size. But I am not an expert by any means, and I like "baby barungs" regardless of what their original purpose was, as they are very well made.

[Conogre]

While the full sized barungs are most deffinitely slashing weapons, the thinner blades and reduced thickness of the small versions would make them equally well suited as slashers/stabbers, with the blades comparable to the small gunongs originally thought to be assasination pieces.
This is what made me think of them as a woman's protection knife, where the main object is to inflict enough damage to escape with her "honor" intact, rather than to kill outright.
In many areas, particularly those of fundamentalist muslim influence or antiquited Christian mores , once a woman is violated, it was and sometimes still is considered her "duty" to commit suicide to avoid bringing dishonor upon her family or clan.
I've run accross this attitude in today's world here in Florida in people of the "old country" that regularly travel between the two, such as to visit relatives, and was amazed at the vehemence towards surrendering "women's knives" in relation to current post 9/11 airlines regulations.
As I said, I may be way off base, but encountering such has opened my eyes towards the possibility of a weapon in contrast to the way a "civilized" westerner might view it in the present.
Mike

[tom hyle]

A woman is always under more threat than a man; there tends to be one more thing people want to take from her.

[Ann Feuerbach]

Does anybody know off hand what wood is used for the handle? Also, what metal to they tend to use on Barongs for decoration on handles?
Ann

[Ian]

Hi Ann:

The most common woods are banati (bunti), which is the striped wood so often seen on better quality barung hilts, and kumagong, which is like mahogany and also used for many Moro scabbards (a little darker than banati and without the stripes). I've also seen a type of ebony used on hilts, mostly from Palawan I think. Lesser grade barung may have a variety of other hard woods whose names I don't know.

The metals used on the ferrules (punto) are silver (common -- often coin silver), brass (fairly common), steel/iron (on lesser grade barung particularly), and gold (rarely). The use of gold decoration was formerly restricted to the Sultan and royal family, and was prohibited for anyone else under Moro law (that seems to have changed in recent years ). Often the gold was alloyed with base metals such as copper to form suassa. I've also seen an example of a gold wash over silver. Some post WWII examples may have alumin(i)um fittings, but these are not common.

Silver, and rarely gold, have been used also to create elaborate kakatua for some of the top end junggayan barung (see my avatar -- courtesy of our forumite Battara).

That's as much as I can tell you. Hopefully some of our Filipino forumites can add more details.

Regards,

Ian.

Originally Posted by Ann Feuerbach

Does anybody know off hand what wood is used for the handle? Also, what metal to they tend to use on Barongs for decoration on handles?
Ann

[Radu Transylvanicus]

Nothing but a "barong" ... I like that "baby-barong" expression ... still I preffer a "whos yoour daddy barong" in hand !

[Battara]

Radu, the last one only works if you barong to the same family.

[Rick]

Hear the old tale about the court jester and the king ?

The king became so exasperated with his jester's puns that he threatened to hang him if he made one more .
The jester agreed to make no more puns .
After the king told him his life would be spared he said : "No noose is good news ."

Guess what happened next ?

[Conogre]

He immediately "lynched" into another subject altogether?
Mike

[Ann Feuerbach]

Thanks Ian for the info. I will have a good look at my friends and see what I can find out.

[Federico]

Originally Posted by Ian

Hi Ann:

The most common woods are banati (bunti), which is the striped wood so often seen on better quality barung hilts, and kumagong, which is like mahogany and also used for many Moro scabbards (a little darker than banati and without the stripes). I've also seen a type of ebony used on hilts, mostly from Palawan I think. Lesser grade barung may have a variety of other hard woods whose names I don't know.

Just wanted to add KAMAGONG is Philippine Ebony, not mahogany.

[tom hyle]

I just got one of these. Overall, I must say that in a sense it reminds me of the baby dhas in its relation to the full size sword. The blade is thin, about 1mm, forged steel with a notable thickening right at the base, and hardened; it's quite stiff, and seems like a decent knife.

[tom hyle]

Mine's only about 1mm at the spine, but on closer examination it has a sort of high shinogi affect, in that it is thicker some distance in from the spine, probably about 1.5mm, and a good 2mm at the base; still quite thin, and seeming more a knife than a dagger?